The Gunton Arms sees booking surge after top 20 ranking

Staff at The Gunton Arms were left "shocked" after soaring up the rankings of the illustrious Estrella Damn Top 50 Gastropubs list. 

The pub jumped up by 28 places in just one year, breaking the top 20 at number 18. 

The duck on flatbread at The Gunton Arms (Image: The Gunton Arms)The elk room at The Gunton Arms in north Norfolk (Image: The Gunton Arms)

Lizzie Shanahan, PR, marketing and media manager, said: "We were so delighted and shocked to see how high we jumped after being 46 in last year's rankings. It's such a massive achievement. 

"We're an old pub so it's such a compliment to see us among some of the best new restaurants out there." 

The Gunton Arms is no stranger to national attention, it has also been named as one of the best places for a winter getaway, one of the best places to visit by train, and was mentioned in The Good Food Guide and Conde Nast. 

The gastropub uses its large open fire to cook the locally sourced meat (Image: The Gunton Arms)Lamb being cooked over the fire at The Gunton Arms (Image: The Gunton Arms)

The gastropub was launched in 2011, by art dealer Ivor Braka, in the historic Gunton Hall and sits in a 1000-acre deer park. 

He began restoring the estate in 2009, filling it with artwork from Damian Hirst and Lucien Freud. 

On the success, Ms Shanahan added: "We stay loyal to what we are and what we do, we want people to have a great experience with great food.

Ivor Braka who launched The Gunton Arms (Image: Denise Bradley)The white chocolate cheesecake at The Gunton Arms (Image: The Gunton Arms)

"We want to showcase Norfolk and that is why we use as local produce as possible.  

"The venison comes out of the park, our butcher is in Aylsham and our seafood is from Cromer.  

“We're trying to be focused on sustainability, even having our own chickens."